Shipping carton and end panel construction therefor

ABSTRACT

A shipping carton and end panels therefor and the method of manufacturing same have been disclosed in which extra resistance to crushing is provided by forming the end panels of paper-faced wood veneer which are routed to permit two segments at each end to be folded over and fastened together to form corner posts of triangular cross-section. The bottom, sides and top may be of corrugated paper and are formed with flaps which are glued to the outside faces of the end panels. Alternatively, the bottom, sides and top may be formed of the same material as the end panels. A modification uses a similar technique to form end panels having both vertical and horizontal posts or rails for stiffening in both planes.

United States Patent 1191 Stapp 1451 Jan. 9, 1973 s41 SHIPPING CARTON ANDEND PANEL 3,291,370 12/1966 Elias ..,.229/23 R x CONSTRUCTION THEREFOR 1 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [75] Inventor: William C. Stapp, Fresno, Calif,

463,5l7 3/1950 Canada ..229/23 AB [73] Assigneez American Forest Products Corpora- San Francisco, Calif- Primary Examiner-Davis T. Moorhead 22 Filed: y 22 1971 Attorney-Robert C, Smith et a].

1 [21] Appl. No.: 165,248 [57] ABSTRACT A A shipping carton and end panels therefor and the [52] U.S. Cl. ..229/23 C, 229/49 method of manufacturing game have been disclosed in [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 13/00 which extra resistance to crushing is provided by Field of Search 23 23 9; forming the end panels of paper-faced wood veneer 220/DIG. 25, 4 E which are routed to permit two segments at each end to be folded over and fastened together to form corner [56] References Cited posts of triangular cross-section. The bottom, sides and top may be of corrugated paper and are formed UNITED STATES PATENTS with flaps which are glued to the outside faces of the 2,131,349 9/1938 Kreider, Jr ..229/23 A end p Alternatively, the bottom, sides and p 2,240,256 4/1941 Elmendorf... 229 49 may be formed of the same material as the end panels. 2,308,050 1/1943 Burr ..229/40 X A modification'uses a similar technique to form end 2,315,105 3/1943 Bomfield 229/49 panels having both vertical and horizontal posts or 2,389,890 1 1/1945 Borah ..229/23 C rails for stiffening in both planes, 2,829,816 4/1958 Jason ..229/23 R 3,197,108 7/1965 Northway ..229/23 C 10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures if X1! 422 PATENTED JAN 9 I975 SHEEI 3 [IF 3 SHIPPING CARTON AND END PANEL CONSTRUCTION THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION months in a high humidity environment. A common type of carton for storing grapes is a paperboard carton having its ends formed with a plurality of layers of corrugated paper such that although top, bottom and sides are a single layer thick, the end panels may be three or four layers thick. As is well known by those skilled in the art, such an end panel does have considerable resistance to crushing. Another design which has been used in corrugated paperboard boxes to resist crushing includes folded columns of paperboard in the corners. Despite various measures to impregnate the paperboard with waxes or other materials, neither of these types of cartons have proved entirely satisfactory for storing grapes, etc., since such measures are expensive and even multiple-layered paperboard boxes deform under compressive loads when subjected to very high humidity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A type of carton which has been used extensively in connection with packing and storing fruit is a paperboard carton with side panels formed with flaps which are folded over and glued to the end panels, commonly known as a Bliss type carton. This design is well adapted to mass production and permits some flexibility in the choice of end panels. Applicant has devised a carton and an end panel for this type of carton which is uniquely suited to resisting heavy compressive loads in a high humidity environment. The end panel is formed of a moisture-resistant, paper-covered veneer of a type well known in the art. This material is cut into a desired rectangular form, beveled at its ends, and then routed along two lines parallel to each end to provide V- shaped grooves. These grooves are cut through one paper layer and the wood layer, but not the opposite paper layer. The angles of the cuts are important since the material is folded and glued at the inside groove to make an angle of 90, and the second cut is preferably at 135 to permit the material to be folded back on itself and glued to inside the end panel, thus forming a very strong corner post of triangular cross-section at each end. The resulting panel is highly resistant to crushing, largely because of the wood core, so a box formed with this type of end panel substantially retains its structural integrity even after several months in a high humidity environment and even if the remainder of the carton is a single layer of corrugated paperboard. Economics is very important in this application, of course, but where extra strength is required the end panel may be incorporated into a carton formed almost entirely of paper-covered wood core veneer. In such case, the wood core may be present only at the flat surfaces of top, bottom and sides, and the edges may consist of the two layers of moisture-resistant paper veneer which are glued together to facilitate folding. Alternatively, the material may be grooved and folded at the edges, as in the case of the end panels.

By forming the end panel with grooves both top and bottom and at the ends, and with a proper taper provided with one pair of end segments, reinforcing posts or rails may be formed around all edges, thus forming a very strong end panel having substantial resistance to crushing in either plane. This technique may be particularly useful where the box is approximately as tall as it is wide, so that it may happen to be stacked either way.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an edge view of my end panel with the grooves out prior to forming the corner posts.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the panel of FIG. 1 with one corner post formed by folding over the end sections.

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the panel of FIG. 1 with corner posts formed at both ends.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a typical carton cut to the desired shape with the end panels in place prior to forming the carton.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an assembled carton using the and panels shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an alternate form of end panel showing the manner in which the material is formed with grooves prior to forming the reinforcing posts.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the panel of FIG. 6 after assembly, with a portion broken away to show the manner in which the end sections are folded over.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a typical carton formed with the end panels of FIGS. 6 and 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, an edge view is shown of a panel of paper-faced wood material 10 including a centrally disposed wood core 12 having exterior layers of paper 14 and I6 tightly bonded thereto. This board is routed at each end to form V-shaped grooves parallel to its shorter end, as well as being formed with a 45 bevel at each end. The grooves are preferably cut through paper layer 14 and wooden layer 12, but not layer 16, so that the material may be folded over using the paper layer 16 as a hinge to form a square edge. Thus grooves 18, 18a should be cut at Grooves 20, 200 are preferably cut to the same depth but at a greater angle, such as to facilitate folding the material over sufficiently that the section of material outside of groove 20 can come into contact with the main portion of panel 10. The bevel on the end of the panel 10 will preferably be at 45 such that it will be flat against the surface of the panel.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the panel of FIG. I with the grooves 18a and 20a visible, since that end of panel 10 is shown not folded over. The opposite end is folded at grooves 18 and 20 to form a triangular corner post with the outside beveled and secured against the panel 10 as shown.

FIG. 3 shows a view similar to FIG. 1 with both corner posts formed. All of the V-shaped grooves 18, 18a, 20 and 20a and the beveled. ends are normally coated with a desired type of moisture-resistant adhesive or glue and are then fastened together to form an end panel having corner posts as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a plan View of the typical carton cut to the desired shape with the end panels 10, 10a positioned in place prior to forming the carton. In this instance the end panels 10 and 10a are positioned on top of a properly formed corrugated paper carton structure 22 having bottom 24, side panels 26 and 28, and top panels 30 and 32. Each of the panels 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 includes fold-over gluing flaps 34, 34a, 36, 36a, 38, 38a, 34, 34a, 36, 36a, 38, 38a, 40, 40a, and 42, 42a, respectively.

FIG. shows the carton of FIG. 4 in essentially completed form. In this view it will be recognized that the paperboard member 22 has been folded around the end panels 10, a with the bottom 24, side panels 26 and 28, and top panel 30 in place. Top panel 320 has been shown open to provide an additional showing of the interior structure of the assembled carton. Flaps 34, 36, 38 and 40 are shown folded over and fastened to end panel 10. Flaps 34a, 36a, 38a and 40a(not shown) are similarly fastened to panel 10a. Typically, the sides of the corner posts forming a portion of the end panels will be fastened to the side panels 26 and 28 by means of adhesive.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an alternate form of end panel which is formed in such a way as to provide reinforcing posts or rails around all edges of the end panel, thus providing a very strong end panel which will resist crushing in both vertical and horizontal planes. In this embodiment, a flat panel of paper-covered veneer 50, such as that described above, is formed with horizontal grooves 52, 52a and 54, 54a, and vertical grooves 56, 56a and 58 58a providing both vertically and horizontally disposed foldable segments. The outside edges of these segments are beveled, preferably at 45 as described above. With the arrangement shown, the end segments will fold over in exactly the same manner as described above with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, and then the top and bottom segments may be folded over to form posts in the horizontal plane. It will be observed that the outside ones of the top and bottom segments are tapered to accommodate the corners produced by inwardly folding the end segments.

FIG. 7 shows the end panel of FIG. 6 with the segments folded over to form a completed end panel and with a portion broken away to show the manner in which the various segments are folded over to form the side posts or rails. In this view, it will be seen that the top panels are folded 90 from the main portion of panel 50 to form the edge at fold 52a and that a second fold is formed at numeral 54a which brings the segments back at approximately a 45 angle into contact with the main end panel section. Similarly, side panels are folded at 56a and at 580 to form the vertical posts as previously described. The segments outside of folds 54 and 540 are tapered to accommodate the space taken up by the segment folded over at fold 58 or its counterpart, fold 58a.

FIG. 8 shows a carton utilizing end panels of the kind described with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7. In this carton (which has the top removed for clarity), two end panels 50 and 60 are formed with reinforcing posts facing outwardly from the interior of the box structure and with sides 62 and 64 and bottom 66 stapled or otherwise secured to the edges of the end panels. This particular box is shown with sides, bottom and end panels formed of paper-covered veneer with the wood core sections 68, 70, 72 and 74 shown attached to the flat areas of the end panels while the paper portions are used alone at the edge folds and for areas of small span such as that shown at numeral 76. The sides 62 and 64, bottom 66, and the corresponding top could also be of corrugated paper. It will be appreciated that a carton of the type shown in FIG. 8 will be very resistant to crushing forces and should not appreciably deform in normal service, even though stacked many cartons high. Where the cross-section of the box approaches square, as in the case of that carton shown in FIG. 8, the carton will retain its resistance to crushing, irrespective of which side happens to be placed on the top during stacking.

While only a limited number of embodiments have been shown and described herein, other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, while the member 24 will typically be of corrugated paper, it may also be formed of other materials such as the paper-covered veneer used in the end panels 10, 10a. While the grooves cut at 20, 20a and the bevels at the edge of the end panels 10 are described as being cut at a and 45 angle, respectively, this could be subject to some variation, but the sum of these two angles should equal so that the corner post will fold properly back against the inside of panel 10. To the extent that groove 20 is cut at less than 135, more material will be required for the segment extending between groove 20 and the bevel. Exactly the same factors apply with respect to the grooves formed in end panel 50. And, obviously, staples may be used either in addition to adhesives or in place of adhesives.

Iclaim:

l. A shipping container having a bottom panel, side panels integrally connected to said bottom panel and extending at right angles thereto, top panels integrally connected to the side panels and extending at right angles thereto, attachment flaps attached to each of said bottom, side and top panels, and separate end panels fastened to at least said bottom and side panels, each of said end panels comprising a sheet of paper-covered wood core veneer material with corner posts of papercovered wood veneer at each end thereof.

2. A shipping container as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end panels are formed of a unitary sheet of paper-covered wood veneer material having the ends thereof beveled,

a first pair of grooves are cut parallel with the beveled edges to provide a first segment and a hinge which will fold said segment at right angles to the main portion of the end panel,

a second pair of grooves are out between said first pair of grooves and said edge to provide a second segment and a second hinge which will fold said second segment back against said main portion,

and adhesive means securing said material at said hinges and said beveled edge to form said corner posts.

3. A shipping container as set forth in claim 2 wherein said corner posts are integrally formed with said end panels from a single sheet of paper-covered wood core veneer.

4. A shipping container as set forth in claim 3 wherein said bottom panel, side panels, top panels and attachment flaps are formed of corrugated paperboard.

5. In a container having end panels and a separate member cooperating with said panels to form aid container, said separate member having portions providing the top, sides and bottom panels of aid container and end flaps forming part of said portions, said end flaps being secured to said panels to form said container;

the improvement wherein each of said end panels comprises a sheet of paper-covered wood core veneer material formed with parallel grooves near the ends thereof and with the end segments formed thereby folded over and adhesively secured to form corner posts at each end.

6. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said end panels are formed with beveled edges at said ends, the said grooves are cut through one paper layer and the wood layer to form folded hinges, the inside pair of which fold to a right angle, and the outside pair of which fold past a right angle such that said beveled edges contact the main portion of said end panel.

7. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said separate member is formed of corrugated paperboard.

8. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said separate member is formed essentially of papercovered wood core veneer material.

9. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said end panels are formed with parallel grooves near the top and bottom thereof to form top and bottom segments which are foldable to form. posts at right angles to said comer posts.

10. A container as set forth in claim 9 wherein the outside segments of one of said pairs of end segments and said top and bottom segments are tapered to provide clearance for the opposite pair of segments as folded. 

1. A shipping container having a bottom panel, side panels integrally connected to said bottom panel and extending at right angles thereto, top panels integrally connected to the side panels and extending at right angles thereto, attachment flaps attached to each of said bottom, side and top panels, and separate end panels fastened to at least said bottom and side panels, each of said end panels comprising a sheet of papercovered wood core veneer material with corner posts of papercovered wood veneer at each end thereof.
 2. A shipping container as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end panels are formed of a unitary sheet of paper-covered wood veneer material having the ends thereof beveled, a first pair of grooves are cut parallel with the beveled edges to provide a first segment and a hinge which will fold said segment at right angles to the main portion of the end panel, a second pair of grooves are cut between said first pair of grooves and said edge to provide a second segment and a second hinge which will fold said second segment back against said main portion, and adhesive means securing said material at said hinges and said beveled edge to form said corner posts.
 3. A shipping container as set forth in claim 2 wherein said corner posts are integrally formed with said end panels from a single sheet of paper-covered wood core veneer.
 4. A shipping container as set forth in claim 3 wherein said bottom panel, side panels, top panels and attachment flaps are formed of corrugated paperboard.
 5. In a container having end panels and a separate member cooperating with said panels to form aid container, said separate member having portions providing the top, sides and bottom panels of aid container and end flaps forming part of said portions, said end flaps being secured to said panels to form said container; the improvement wherein each of said end panels comprises a sheet of paper-covered wood core veneer material formed with parallel grooves near the ends thereof and with the end segments formed thereby folded over and adhesively secured to form corner posts at each end.
 6. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said end panels are formed with beveled edges at said ends, the said grooves are cut through one paper layer and the wood layer to form folded hinges, the inside pair of which fold to a right angle, and the outside pair of which fold past a right angle such that said beveled edges contact the main portion of said end panel.
 7. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said separate member is formed of corrugated paperboard.
 8. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said separate member is formed essentially of paper-covered wood core veneer material.
 9. A container as set forth in claim 5 wherein said end panels are formed with parallel grooves near the top and bottom thereof to form top and bottom segments which are foldable to form posts at right angles to said corner posts.
 10. A container as set forth in claim 9 wherein the outside segments of one of said pairs of end segments and said top and bottom segments are tapered to provide clearance for the opposite pair of segments as folded. 